TimeMuncher: the free tool that shows teens how much of their life screens will eat
[.style-intro] Worried about your teen and screens? Our new free tool reveals how many years of your life are heading into a screen – and it's inspired by the one idea that really lands with teens. [.style-intro]
Talking to teens about screens is hard. The days have a way of disappearing into a phone, and getting young people to reflect on that (without a row) can feel impossible.
So we've built something to help. It's called TimeMuncher, it's completely free, and it takes about 30 seconds. It reveals how many years of the rest of your life are likely to be eaten up by screen time.
The results are… uncomfortable. But that's rather the point.
Try it yourself first, then challenge the teens in your life to see what they get. It might be just the nudge they need to put the phone down and spend more time with friends in real life. (And it's not a bad reminder for the rest of us either.)
[.style-link] Try TimeMuncher [.style-link]
Why time – and not screen time?
Time Muncher is inspired by Dino Ambrosi's brilliant TED talk, The Battle for Your Time – and by the lesson from his work that really lands with young people.
Ambrosi, founder of Project Reboot, has found that the usual approach doesn't work. Mental health statistics and "you should get off your phone" tend to fall flat. What connects with teens is something else: time.
"I don't get through to teens by talking about mental health stats," he says. "But when I help them realise their time is being stolen – that they're handing over hours of their life to someone else's business model – that's when it lands."
It's a flip in the narrative. Social media might be "free", but the price is steep. A University of Birmingham study found the average UK 12–15 year old spends 35 hours a week on their smartphone – pretty much a full-time job. When young people realise their attention is being sold to advertisers, the message shifts from "get off your phone" to "don't let them take your time for free." That reframe – from guilt to agency – is far more powerful.
Want to go deeper on the thinking behind it? Start with our article on Ambrosi's approach: Time is precious: the key message that connects with older kids.
Time is the one thing none of us can get back. It's worth spending a little of it finding out where the rest of it's going.
[.style-link] Try TimeMuncher [.style-link]
